Covid-19: how the EU fights youth unemployment

15 Jul 2020 02:00 PM

Youth unemployment remains a key concern in the wake of the coronavirus crisis. Find out more about an EU initiative to help young people find work.

Covid-19 could lead to the emergence of a "lockdown generation", as the crisis hits young people’s job prospects. According to the International Labour Organization (ILO) the pandemic is having a "devastating and disproportionate" impact on youth employment, while the most recent figures show that young people face major obstacles in continuing training and education, moving between jobs and entering the labour market.

More about EU measures against youth unemployment

Reducing youth unemployment in coronavirus times

Before the pandemic, EU youth unemployment (15-24) was 14.9%, down from its peak of 24.4% in 2013. In April 2020, it rose to 15.7%. The European Commission’s summer 2020 economic forecast predicts that the EU economy will shrink 8.3% in 2020, the deepest recession in the EU's history. To offset the impact on young people, the Commission has proposed a new initiative: Youth Employment Support.

Check out our timeline of EU measures to tackle the Covid-19 crisis

The Youth Employment Support Package consists of:

The Commission wants EU countries to increase their support for the young through the ambitious NextGenerationEU recovery plan and the future EU budget. Member states should invest at least €22 billion for youth employment. Parliament and EU governments will discuss the proposals in the framework of negotiations on the EU's next long-term budget.

What is the Youth Guarantee?

Launched at the peak of the youth employment crisis in 2013, the Youth Guarantee aims to ensure people under the age of 25 get a good-quality offer of employment, continued education, an apprenticeship or a traineeship within four months of becoming unemployed or leaving formal education.

Click here for the full press release